Baked Beet Chips

It’s weird how much better these little tweaks make you feel. First one: I’ve worked out every day this week. I’m not gonna make some unrealistic statement and say that this is how I’m living from here on out, but good gracious does it make me feel giddy.

Second tweak: I’ve cut out coffee. I know. I know. I can’t believe I just wrote that. It wasn’t planned. I woke up Monday morning and got some tea instead of coffee. And then I did the same thing the next day. And the next day. And now, it’s Friday and I feel like I have more energy than I’ve had in months. In months I’m guessing this won’t last for long–the taste of coffee is a long time love.

I decided to keep up with the health-ish, unusual track that I’m on and snack on some beets. (I honestly don’t even know who I am right now.) I hate beets. I think they taste–for the most part–like dirt. Like, the actual earth. People put a bunch of goat cheese on them and avocado and think they’re delicious. Datsss cool. I’m just not one of those people.

But I do love those Terra chips. You know those? They’re like $6 a bag from Whole Foods and they’re filled about a quarter of the way? Yeah. Well, the beet chips–surprisingly–are my favorite. It’s unexplainable.

Turns out slicing some beets and baking them is waaaay cheaper than buying a big bag of pre-sliced and pre-baked ones.

I made one batch last week and one batch yesterday. Pro-tips: Martha’s method with placing a baking sheet on top of the chips to keep them flat is a winner. She’s too smart.

Also, only take the beets out of the oven when they’re pale. Their color will turn from a deep beet red to a pale beet red. This is confusing in text, I’m sure, but if you take the dive and make these, you’ll see the difference when you do an oven peek.

So, join me on this strange journey. Grab a mandoline. Slice up some pretty golden beets and maybe a few red beets.

Toss them with very little olive oil. Sprinkle on a some sea salt. Baked them.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, with racks in upper and lower thirds. Peel beets and slice 1/16 inch thick with a mandoline. In a large bowl, toss beets with extra-virgin olive oil. The beets should have a very thin coat.

2. On two rimmed baking sheets (or use one sheet and bake in two batches), arrange beets in a single layer. Sprinkle with a small amount of sea salt.

3. Stack another rimmed baking sheet on top of each. Bake until edges of beets begin to dry out, about 20 minutes. Uncover and rotate sheets. Bake 10 to 20 minutes, removing chips as they become lightened and pale in color. Note: Pretty much all of mine needed the full extra 20 minutes of baking time. Transfer to a wire rack; chips will crisp up as they cool.

These look awesome! I love those a $6 a bag terra chips and since I am el cheapo and won’t buy them, these are going to have to do. Now, if I can not slice off my thumb with my mandolin, I’ll be all set 🙂

Thanks for this post.
I probably shouldn’t say this, but I was just planning on baking the cinnamon sugar pull-apart bread you once said you were going to make soon.
Then I saw this. And I kind of still want to make the pull-apart thing, but I applaude your healthy behaviour.
I am a recovered coffee-lover myself and totally agree on the energy-level thing.
Since I miss the taste I now make myself organic decaf lattes. It helps. You should try it.

This is great, I actually hate beets growing up as a child, and then one day i got them on a salad and hadn’t noticed and my mom was like when did you start eating “beets”…I looked down and went. “oh” lol, and i kept eating them. Well anyway, I went through a beet juice phase last year but grew tired of cleaning my juicer every day. These look great, and I’ve never seen a golden beet in my grocery store, but this is a great way to get veggies in instead of regular chips. I’m definetely going to try these. Do you know how long they last?

I’ve always loved coffee, probably since I was 5. When I “grew up,” I’d have several cups a day…until 3 years ago when I switched to tea. I’ve been drinking green or white tea every morning since, and can really tell a difference physically (feels much cleaner, ya know?). I’ll treat myself to a latte or coffee on the weekends, and the smell of coffee grounds is one of the best smells in the world, but tea has become its own animal now.

Oh! I got my first mandolin slicer for Christmas and have been itchin to use it. Gonna try to make zucchini chips and throw in your beets too. Thanks for sharing 🙂

Love the idea of making these at home! I heart those Terra chips too but…yeah $6? Not so much.

Totally with you on the life tweaks too. ‘Tis the season I guess. I’m still coffee addicted but the last few months I’ve been trying to stretch everyone morning when I wake up and drink warm lemon water before consuming anything else. It’s like a gentle body hug.

Oh how I dislike beets too! I’ve tried to like them every year, but I just can’t get past that dirt taste. But your totally right about those chips! They are good, you’ve convinced me to go buy some beets!

I subscribe to a csa program and am always wondering what to do with all of those beets. I’ve never been a big fan of cookeded beets and there’s only so far shredding them on a salad can go. I will definitely be trying this the next time a box comes!

How long did they have to stay on the cooling rack. Mine that got crispy were a little over done straight off the baking sheet. THe ones on the cooling rack, didn’t seem to crisp up as much. Any other tips? Thanks!

I once went off coffee for 4 months. It was a strange and sleepy time in my life. Then I returned to that black magic, and remembered what it felt like to be awake, it was glorious.
I also once thought I hated beets too, until I had some really fresh beets that tasted sweet and not like dirt.
Does the baking of said fresh and pretty beets enhance their sweetness? If so, I’m so on board…eventually.

I am so going to make these! I might add some sweet potatoes in there too, just cuz I like ’em that much. Skin on. Woohoo for healthy snacking! And working out everyday — I’ve been back at the gym for a few solid weeks now and — surprise, surprise — have rediscovered my waist 🙂

Yes! I love beets (a recent golden roasted beet salad post will attest to this) and I love those Terra chips but whole-heartedly agree that they are expensive and the bags are underfilled! I am so grateful for this recipe. I have a bag of beets in my fridge right now that are going to be chips by this evening!

Adrianna, those beet chipslook damned good! I like that you used 2 colors – so pretty. And I too am feeling the healthy tip. Trying not to eat sugar or dairy over here:( …..at least for the moment.
Good luck with the no-coffee thang. I’m impressed!
xo
E

Dana,
I”m am a life long, avowed hater of beets. So much so, that I had my high school art teacher make for me, a license to kill anyone who: grew, sold, willfully consumed, or forced consumption of beets upon another person (especially parents, It’s like child abuse).
That said, I LOVE beet chips. I have some in the oven right now made with rosemary garlic salt. Give them a try. I’m betting you will love them, too.
Maybe it might be best to have the store bought ones first, just once, so that if you botch the home job ones, you don’t give up.

Beet chips are so surprisingly good and they sure look pretty! I’d love to find some of those golden beet – I’ll have to keep my eyes peeled! The chips taste good dipped in a little ranch dressing too, which kills the health factor, but just a heads up 🙂

They look fabulous! So vibrant and healthy. I’ve tried these before in restaurants but never attempted making them – seems like they’re worth a shot. Thanks for sharing! Good luck on your tweaks – quite inspiring 🙂

You’re the best. I’m with you on all of this – except coffee. These beet chips are so pretty! I only just realized that beets are a vegetable I don’t particularly love, but these are a little too alluring.

I just had Root vegetable chips at a restaurant last weekend and beets was one of them- they were my favorite! I was trying to figure out how I could make them and bam- there you were on pinterest! Can’t wait to try these! Thanks! wondering if you could do the same with sweet potatoes?

My first batch has flopped (oops too much oil. and I thought I’d try my food processor that slices about 1/8″ rather than doing it by hand – the result was more like thin roasted beets), but I did get a few uneven pieces that did get at least half-crispified are amazing! I looove beets and have never had beet chips before but even my mild failure has made me a convert. I will probably buy a mandoline just so I can make these again and have them crunchy, but I would probably even try cutting five pounds of these by hand, they’re so yummy. Thanks for the recipe! I manage to stick to reasonable amounts of black tea these days, except when I visit my parents and their Keurig machine. Then it’s all over. p.s. You’re beets are so cute and round! The beets from my CSA here in New England are huge, so I have lumpy half-moon slices. 🙂

I’m “one of those” that think cilantro tastes like soap. I made homemade salsa once and it tasted terrible. I couldn’t believe how bad it was. I started retasting my ingredients to find out what was bad….and finally narrowed it down to the cilantro. I can usually eat everything that restaurants fix because there is not much cilantro in their recipes. It’s weird I know!!

i’ve been wanting to make these for a while but didn’t want to splurge on a mandoline. i found one the other day at a salvation army for 2 bucks and it’s brand new with accessories. i’m so excited! now i have to try making these! i’m sure they’ll be delicious because i love beets!

I have to try this. The only this is that I’ll have to get my husband to do the slicing. I’m petrified of the mandoline so he does the slicing when we make scalloped potatoes. I’m not sure how he’ll feel about slicing up beets though.

I JUST bought a mandoline off of Amazon today after making the beet chips. I cannot cut an even slice by hand so it made baking time and texture with the beets WAY off. THey still tasted really good but they were not a chip. I WANT A BEET CHIP!! lol! AND other kinds of chips. I’ll let you know how it goes! Thanks for posting your recipe!
Alyssa
handsalwayscreating.blogspot.com

Hi Adrianna! First off, I love your blog. It is just so cute 🙂 Quick question regarding mandolines … do you suggest any one brand? I used to have a Pampered Chef one years ago and now looking on Amazon.com I am a little overwhelmed with all of the options. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated 🙂

I agree with you. I think beets taste like dirt. My husband and daughter, however, love them. We’re growing them in the garden and they are about ready. I will pickle most of them, but I can’t wait to try this recipe!

I just tried this and mine were burned after only a few minutes into the second half of cook time! Some on the inside of each pan were still uncooked, but they got burned spots before they were even pink. Do you have any tips on how Ican fix that? Maybe my racks were in the wrong spot, or should I try a lower temp?

…are you sure you aren’t cutting them 1/8″ thick?
I have done 1/16 twice in a row. My mandoline won’t cut an even slice on this setting, so it comes out slightly thinner on one end. As a result the beet chips end up scorching on one side every time, and they look overall way thinner than the ones in the pictures.

Also, are they supposed to be slightly wetter when you pull them out than you want them to be? it seems like mine continue to dry out a fair amount after I pull them. If I look at paleness alone, I get closer than if I try and gauge how soggy they are at the time I pull them from the oven…

Some people have a “beets smell & taste like dirt” gene, and others don’t –
“…interesting fact about beets … they contain a chemical called geosmin… This compound is what gives beets their “earthy” flavor… Some people are especially sensitive to geosmin and can smell it in very small quantities… Geosmin is most concentrated in the skin of the beet…”
From http://www.acreagelife.com/rural-living-articles/imagine-my-surprise-beets

Hi, made these and followed the recipe exactly, but my beets did not look like yours. I am wondering if I put too much oil, or salt, or…..I even left them in the oven longer and they still did not crisp. So bummed as I just started Paleo and I love beets, wanted these for a crunchy snack. Any ideas would be appreciated.

[…] Beet Chips Beets can be an acquired taste. They have kind of a strange earthy sweetness to them that some people don’t like. But if you slice them very thin, douse them with salt and maybe some spices, and baked them until they’re crispy, you might become a beet convert. Your kids too! Try different colors of beets for attractive, tempting chips. […]

[…] beets – so I waited until I had several to play with…and I made beet chips! I followed this recipe, peeling them under cold water, slicing them with my mandolin, and baking them on low with oil, […]

This is fantastic! I got a dehydrator a few years ago that gets very little spotlight lately… so I found this brilliant snack in my search for healthy, crispy things to eat. Thank you! YUM!
Julie
makingmindfulness.blogspot.com

Help. I’ve been making beet chips (as well as roasted chick peas) but I’ve had a re-occurring problem: the beets reabsorb moisture so quickly I can’t get them to the table crispy. I swear, they come out of the oven crispy and within 5 minutes they are moist again. My toddlers love to eat the CRISPY chips, but not moist ones. What am I doing wrong?